How can birth pains be relieved?

Synonyms

Analgesia, anesthesia, pain relief

Possibilities of pain therapy

There are a number of pain therapy options to accompany the birth process (relieve birth pain)

Sedation (damping)

Sedation (alleviating birth pains) is the attenuation of alertness and arousal by certain drugs. Through central nervous (in the brain and spinal cord) mechanisms, some medications have an anxiety-relieving (anxiolytic), muscle-relaxing (relaxing), damping and fatiguing effects (sedation). However, sedation drugs have no analgesic or analgesic effect (relieve birth pain).

Benzodiazepines, propofol or ketamine can be used for sedation (relieve birth pain). These drugs may also affect the unborn or newborn child, possible side effects may be serious (e.g. temporary muscle weakness in the child caused by benzodiazepines), so they should only be used by experienced personnel in certain cases. Systemic pain therapy in obstetrics means the administration of painkillers via the vein (intravenous) or in the form of tablets (oral).

Systemic in this context means that the whole body comes into contact with the drugs, as opposed to regional or local pain therapy (relieving birth pains). The problem with systemic pain therapy (relieve birth pain) is the permeability of the placenta (placenta) to most medications. This means that the unborn child also feels the effect of the medication, which can be quite problematic with some medications, since babies in particular react more sensitively due to their not yet mature metabolism and are less able to break down medication.

In obstetrics, various drugs are used (to relieve birth pain). It is possible to administer opioids (e.g. morphine, sufentanil or pethidine). Especially in cases of severe pain (relieve birth pain), such as the birth of a child’s head, they can quickly and effectively combat severe pain. However, an anesthetist should always be present when opioids are administered, as respiratory depression (suppression of breathing) can occur in the mother and, after birth, also in the child, so that short-term ventilation may be necessary.